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Tech Tips: Oversized Brake Rotor Kit

Looking to change out your brake rotor for a larger and stronger model? Check out this how-to on switching out not only the rotor, but also the hanger bracket and what to look for to get the best out of your new brakes.

For any other motorcycle parts, accessories, or gear needs, you can find them at Chaparral-Racing.com.

Transcribed version:

Michael Lindsay: "Hey, this is Michael Lindsay from Vital MX. We're here at Chaparral Motorsports today, and we got the guys from Galfer down here to show us how to install one of their oversized brake rotor kits with a bracket."

Galfer Staff: "Today we're gonna be installing the Galfer 270 millimeter Tsunami oversized kit on the front of this bike. All of our kits are gonna include a bracket and pads for your application. There are some 2015, 2016 bikes that come from the factory with this 270 millimeter rotor. In that case, these rotors are available separately. So the tools that you're gonna need to install your Galfer oversized kit are gonna include a soft mallet, you're gonna need some box wrenches, need a socket, and some hex wrenches.

The first step in removing this is gonna be the front wheel. You wanna make sure that you take the front wheel off, and then we're gonna move on to the caliper bracket, and relocation bracket. So the next step is gonna be to remove the two bolts that hold the factory caliper bracket to the caliper. So now we're gonna remove the pins that hold the factory pads in. This is gonna allow us access to the caliper bracket. And then we're gonna use a hex wrench to remove the caliper pin. So at this point, we've unthreaded the pin, you can slide the pin out and remove the pads. Now we're going to slide the factory caliper bracket off of the caliper...just like this. We'll be reusing the factory pin. And I'll show you in a moment how to remove that easily. So the easiest way to remove this factory pin is to go ahead and reinstall the factory caliper bracket onto the fork lug. You can snug it down using one of the bolts, it doesn't need to be super tight, and take a 14-millimeter socket, extended socket, and remove the pin. Once you have that out, you can go ahead and remove the bolts.

We're gonna move over to the bench, we're gonna remove the factory rubber grommet as well as the pad spring clip, transfer those over to the new caliper bracket. So I've got our parts transferred over, the pad spring clip, got the rubber boot, and the pin. It's lightly threaded in here, got it reinstalled on the fork mount. We're gonna go ahead and tighten this pin down. Doesn't have to be super tight, just snug. And then we're gonna go ahead and remove this bracket and transfer the caliper and a new set of pads over to it. So now we're ready to install the caliper relocation bracket onto the caliper. One thing to note, you can use a little bit of grease on these slider pins. Definitely don't wanna over-grease these. If they're over-greased, it can actually lock the caliper up, prevent it from sliding. So you're gonna go ahead and slide the caliper bracket back onto the caliper. Slide it all the way inboard, now we're gonna go ahead and install a fresh set of pads. It's critical whenever you're replacing a rotor to install a fresh sets of pads. They are gonna wear to the specific rotor. So even if you have a fairly fresh sets of pads, it's a good idea to replace them at this point. Now we're gonna install the caliper back onto the fork lug. This is a complete assembly at this point. And once you get it installed, go ahead and torque it down. Wanna use your recommended manufacturer torque specs on all these bolts.

So next, we're gonna remove the factory hardware from the rotor. You're gonna go ahead and remove all four bolts in this case. You're gonna go ahead and replace it with our Galfer rotor. Wanna make sure that when you reinstall the bolts, we'll be reusing those factory bolts, that you add some blue Loctite to each fastener to make sure those stay in place. Go ahead and torque those to your factory recommended specs. The last step in the installation process is installing the front wheel. You wanna torque all your fasteners to the recommended torque specs. We also recommend cleaning the rotor's braking surface with alcohol or acetone. If you have any oil on your hands, if you touch it, you wanna remove any of that residue before you ride on it. Give it a proper break in procedure. If you have any questions during the install or any of our products, don't hesitate to give us a call."